libephemeris 1.1.0

A high-precision, open-source astronomical ephemeris library for Python, powered by Skyfield.

LibEphemeris

A high-precision astronomical ephemeris library for Python, powered by NASA JPL DE440/DE441 ephemerides and IAU 2006/2000A standards.

Drop-in replacement for PySwissEph - pure Python, no C extensions, easier deployment.

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Features

• NASA JPL DE440/DE441 - modern planetary ephemerides via Skyfield, with full-range DE441 support for deep-history and far-future work
• IAU 2006/2000A standards - precession, nutation, and obliquity via the official ERFA library
• Validated high precision - planetary differences typically measured in fractions of an arcsecond, house cusps < 0.02", benchmarked across 4,400+ comparison rounds (full report)
• Four backends, one API - Skyfield, LEB (~14x speedup), Horizons API, and adaptive auto mode through the same calc_ut() interface
• 25 house systems, 43 ayanamsha modes - independently verified against pyswisseph
• Physical planet centers - outer planets corrected from barycenters using JPL satellite ephemerides
• Thread-safe contexts when you need them - SwissEph-compatible globals for drop-in migration, EphemerisContext for concurrent workloads
• 15,000+ years of coverage - base, medium, and extended precision tiers from modern use to -13200 / +17191 CE
• Pure Python 3.12+ - no C extensions, clean installs across CI, containers, and serverless

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Why LibEphemeris

Swiss Ephemeris is the industry standard for planetary calculations. But its Python binding (pyswisseph) is a C extension - hard to build, hard to debug, tied to a single computation model.

LibEphemeris provides the same API with a modern foundation:

• NASA JPL ephemerides instead of semi-analytical theory - DE440/DE441 are the latest planetary ephemerides from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the same data used for spacecraft navigation.
• IAU 2006/2000A standards - precession and nutation computed via the official ERFA library (the open-source implementation of IAU SOFA), not custom routines.
• Physical planet centers - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune corrected from system barycenters to actual body centers using JPL satellite ephemerides. Most libraries skip this.
• Independently verified - every function cross-validated against pyswisseph, JPL Horizons, and astropy/ERFA. Precision report with full methodology.
• Pure Python - readable source, standard debugging, no build toolchain. Runs on any platform, any CI, any serverless environment.

Switching from pyswisseph? Your existing code works with minimal changes. Migration guide.

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Quick Start

import libephemeris as swe
from libephemeris.constants import SE_SUN, SE_MOON, SEFLG_SPEED

jd = swe.julday(2000, 1, 1, 12.0)  # J2000.0

sun, _ = swe.calc_ut(jd, SE_SUN, SEFLG_SPEED)
moon, _ = swe.calc_ut(jd, SE_MOON, SEFLG_SPEED)

print(f"Sun:  {sun[0]:.4f} deg, speed {sun[3]:.4f} deg/day")
print(f"Moon: {moon[0]:.4f} deg, speed {moon[3]:.4f} deg/day")

# House cusps (Placidus, Rome)
cusps, ascmc = swe.houses(swe.julday(2024, 11, 5, 18.0), 41.9028, 12.4964, b"P")
print(f"ASC: {ascmc[0]:.4f}, MC: {ascmc[1]:.4f}")

For concurrent or multi-threaded workloads, use EphemerisContext instead of the module-level global state.

More examples: Getting Started

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Verified Precision

Every number independently measured against pyswisseph across 4,400+ comparison rounds. Full report.

Category	Typical	Max	Scope
Sun-Pluto	0.04-0.26"	1.17"	Pluto max 0.75"; Neptune is the widest observed planetary delta
Moon	0.70"	3.32"	Different underlying lunar models
House cusps	< 0.01"	0.02"	All 25 systems
Fixed stars	< 0.1"	0.51"	116 Hipparcos catalog stars
Solar eclipses	-	< 6s	Timing accuracy
Lunar eclipses	-	< 8s	Timing accuracy
Ayanamsha	< 0.001 deg	0.006 deg	All 43 sidereal modes

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Four Backends, One API

Choose your trade-off between speed, locality, and setup. The same calc_ut() interface works across all four modes, from zero-install Horizons lookups to precomputed LEB throughput.

Mode	Backend	Speed	Use case
"auto"	LEB -> Horizons -> Skyfield	adaptive	Default. Best onboarding; resolves local or remote data transparently
"skyfield"	JPL DE440/DE441 via Skyfield	~120 us	High-precision local JPL workflow
"leb"	Precomputed Chebyshev polynomials	~5 us	Maximum throughput for repeated calculations
"horizons"	NASA JPL Horizons REST API	~300 ms	No local ephemeris files required

from libephemeris import set_calc_mode
set_calc_mode("leb")  # or via env: LIBEPHEMERIS_MODE=leb

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Installation

pip install libephemeris

Out of the box, the wheel includes a bundled LEB2 base-tier core for the 14 core bodies (1850-2150). With the default medium tier, the library can auto-download the additional LEB2 data it needs on first use.

Recommended first-time setup:

libephemeris init                 # Optional but recommended interactive config
libephemeris download auto        # Download exactly what your config needs
libephemeris status               # Verify installed data and active setup

Prefer to install a tier directly? Use one of these:

libephemeris download base         # 1850-2150, lightweight
libephemeris download medium       # 1550-2650, ~200 MB (recommended)
libephemeris download extended     # -13200 to +17191 CE, full range

Optional extras: pip install libephemeris[stars] for star-catalog tooling, [nbody] for REBOUND/ASSIST n-body integration, [all] for everything. Details.

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Documentation

• Getting Started - installation, ephemeris tiers, first calculations
• Migration from PySwissEph - API mapping, flag compatibility, known divergences
• Precision Report - full methodology, comparison tables, verification process
• Flag Reference - all supported flags with examples
• House Systems - all 25 systems, verified against pyswisseph
• Ayanamsha Modes - 43 sidereal modes
• LEB Binary Ephemeris - format, generation, LEB2 compression
• Horizons Backend - HTTP client, pipeline, precision
• Architecture - internal design and data flow
• Methodology - planet centers, lunar apsides, pyerfa integration
• CLI Reference - full command reference
• Changelog - release history

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Contributing

git clone https://github.com/g-battaglia/libephemeris.git
cd libephemeris && uv pip install -e ".[dev]"
poe lint                           # Ruff lint + auto-fix
poe test:leb:fast                  # Recommended fast unit suite
poe test:compare:skyfield          # Cross-validate vs pyswisseph

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License

AGPL-3.0. See LICENSE.